Wednesday, July 23, 2008

This video demo, of a chicken being broken down with kitchen shears, was down with the hopes that some of you will start buying fresh whole chickens, instead of previously frozen chicken parts.

Everyone's trying to save a few dollars at the store these days, and what better way than buying a whole chicken; always cheaper than the same amount of chicken parts. If you haven't been buying organic, free-range chicken, because it costs more, this new skill will allow you to get a healthier whole bird for about the same price as the regular package of pieces.

I'm assuming that most people have a bit more experience using a pair of scissors, than a razor-sharp boning knife. So, this method of butchering a chicken is much less intimidating for obvious reasons.

Hopefully for some, the scissors will act like training-wheels on the path to eventually using a knife for this procedure. Sturdy scissor do work nicely, but nothing can match a boning knife for maximum yield. Enjoy!

20 comments:

Eric
said...

Thanks for the lesson!

Quick question: what do you mean by "maximum yield" regarding using a boning knife? Aren't you working with the same amount of chicken either way? Is there an optimal shape to each piece that you can't get with a pair of scissors (like you mentioned in the video with the leg)? Or are you referring to the knife's precision when removing fat and bone?

balu, I may have showed some cutting in previous chicken clips, but this was for the person that is not going to use a knife, so let's try scissors. I want people to cook fresh food no matter how they prep the stuff.

I've always had a hard time separating the breast meat from the rib plate. A sharp knife tends to cut into the bones and it's a jagged, inelegant process. I keep thinking there may be a way to "scoop" the breast meat off the bone but haven't found it yet.

Thank you! I passed by a cooler of fresh Hutterite chickens recently and thought "well, it's too hot out to roast a whole chicken" so I just kept walking. It did not even occur to me to cut the darn thing up... and now I know how! You keep changing my life for the better!

4 cups of evaporated milk (A little more than two cans)2 cups of sugar2 eggs1 t sp of lemon juice1/4 t sp of saltBlend all ingredients together (I use a blender) and cook at medium heat or a little less, until is golden brown. If you skip the lemon you will have a creamy dulce de leche. My family prefers the chunky version and I am sure you will too so use lemon.I love you. I try your crepe recipe and it was a complete success.

I just found your blog! An instant addict. Your video/discription is going to be wonderful for my older children who are starting to get the cooking bug. This will be great to have them try as I'm not quite comfortable having them tackle this task with a knife quite yet.

Thanks for the videos and keeping them fun and amusing :) Chicken dance song usage is priceless!

Great site. Just stumbled upon it today because someone on the Virtual Weber Bullet site linked to the Cornell Chicken video. I liked video so much that I stuck around and viewed several other videos. I'm actually going to cook the Cornell Chicken tomorrow. Thanks for the effort that you put into this site. There is a great deal of good info here.

Thanks so much for the technique Chef John. I just finished cutting up my first chicken without having to hack through the bones! I didn't have cutting shears, so I had to use the knife, but it was so much easier after the lesson. I bought the whole chicken to use for your lemon yoghurt chicken. It looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. Thanks again for the tutorial and for making your lessons so enjoyable! Susan